Investigation: Decatur Railroad Crossings Cause Major Delays

DECATUR- With more than 40 railroad crossings in town, you've probably gotten stuck behind a train. Many of you on Facebook, told us you've waited more than half an hour.

Most of those crossings, you can take an alternate route, but it might not be the most direct and will slow you down.

Mark Smith has been studying the problem of transportation for years in Decatur. And recently with two major studies one on Brush College and one that's citywide they've identified major problems.

The crossing on Brush College, by Faries parkway is the worst, blocked more than 17 hours each week. Then it's El Dorado, at the crossing near Martin Luther King, blocked 15 hours a week. And Faries Parkway, near ADM is blocked nearly eight hours each week.

Smith and other planners are also working with URS, a design firm to come up with solutions like overpasses that would cut down on travel time.

In March, URS presented a two bridge plan to alleviate traffic near ADM's West Plant, the estimated cost at roughly 60 million dollars.

Smith and the URS design firm are continuing to study the most efficient solution that's best for everyone in town. The suggestions from that study will be out in the next few months.